No more than who we are
by DyingThoughtsofMe
Summary: Life itself is a quotation, at least that's what Jorge Luis Borges said.


I do not own standoff.

M'kay, so I got this new idea while browsing wikiquote (place on wikipedia for quotes) for new quotes, 'cause my collection of 1000+ quotes isn't big enough as it is. I will give every character on standoff a quote that, in my opinion, describes them perfectly.

Challenge: guess who they are by the end of each story. Some will be completely obvious, others a little more tricky. Have fun!

* * *

Form the moment you were born, your parents made sure you knew the basic rules in life. They raised you to be, in a way, perfect. There were three main things they pounded into your head: Everything in life has a meaning, obedience is the key to everything, and knowledge is more powerful than creativity.

By the time you were a little girl, you knew all of these by heart. You placed the Barbies back into the toy chest every time you were finished with them. Every morning when you made your bed you placed Daisy, your faithful stuffed puppy, atop your bleached white pillows. The books were stacked into perfect volumes on your bookshelf, and when you were older, you started alphabetizing them.

In high school, you were no different. While other girls battled acne and prom dress choices, you tackled academics with a vengeance. No test grade was below an A, and you ranked number two in state in UIL, for Mathematics, when you were a _freshman. _Sure other kids made fun of you behind your back, but despite the cruel remarks, you stuck to what you knew best: work your hardest and find your place in life.

You were a junior when you first realized you wanted to be a Psychologist. Looking at the torment and ridicule the younger classmen endured, the pain of your own suffering came back. So you studied, and thanks to that you got a one way ticket to Princeton. You remember the very day you told your parents; they were so proud!

In college, things got a little more difficult. The pressure to ditch finals and party all night hit you like a title wave. But you stuck to you old ways, once again. Then, as a sophomore, you heard of a shooting not too far from campus; a couple held three innocent children in a local daycare, demanding that the government lower their income to an affordable price. However the ending was not a happy one, because the husband went on a rampage and shot the children and, by mistake, his wife. He was filled with so much grief that he placed the gun against his head and fired.

The story affected you more than you thought you did. Before you knew it, you were devoting your years of college to studying the actions, intentions, and motivations of humans in general. The more you read about the subject, the more you became dedicated to it. Finally, after what seemed like decades, you graduated, and the F.B.I, after seeing your Double Major in psychology and law (which you somehow became fascinated with over the years) and you PhD, welcomed you with open arms.

Training took a few more years, which you endured sufficiently. Who knew there was so much to know about criminal justice?

Flash forward about five more years. Your have been transferred you to sunny L.A, where you will continue your study of criminal behavior and teach a class about negotiation strategies. You thought it would be a simple transfer, nothing too dramatic.

Unfortunately, life has a funny way of surprising you.

You did **not** expect to meet him.

When you first saw him at the small café inside the building, just a few floors down from where you would work, you thought he was a fugitive who had the balls to step into F.B.I. HQ. Messy hair, worn out shirt, faded jeans, black leather jacket, and five o'clock shadow even though it was 7:45 in the morning, you could have sworn he was a convict.

Well, one thing was for sure, you were going to avoid him at all costs. So when Cheryl Carrere introduced you to your new field partner, you almost laughed in your face.

His name was Matt Flannery, and according to Miss Carrera, he was one of her best agents. You nearly snorted with disbelief.

The days turn into weeks, which turn into months. Before you know it, Matt's been your partner for almost six months; and it's clear that you were wrong about him in the first place. Although he has the tendency to be a real ass, he's actually a smart guy. And the thing you are drawn to him most, other than his eyes (which you convince yourself are _pretty _not _beautiful_), is that he doesn't go by the book. What fascinates you is that he takes chances; he "goes with his gut" as he always put it.

On the seventh month you're partners, you get called to San Diego for a case. So the both of you pack your bags and a few hours later you're negotiating with a forty year old man who freaked out because taxes were just a little higher than normal. After a good ten hours of negotiating, said man is in handcuffs and the hostages are free.

It's been a long day, so you both head to the local Holiday Inn and check in. The both of you have been on the go since about 8:00 that morning, so you call it an early night. Besides, you need to get started on that paper work sooner than later.

You hear a knock at the door, wondering who could want to see you at 10:30 at night. Just as you expected, there's Matt, looking rather feverish. He briefly explained that his air conditioner was broken, and he asked if he could camp out on her couch to escape the heat.

Next thing you know, he's kissing you speechless. You don't know how it started, nor do you really care. You just shove him on your bed and attempt to rip his shirt off. The morning after, the sun glaring from the windows wake you up. You would have shut them, if not for the arm wrapped around your waist, holding you back.

Panic is the first thing to come to mind. You both know that a relationship could seriously damage your carrier, so you decide to keep it secret. But secrets always have their ways of being known. Exactly three months and one week later, you know because you counted, you happen to hear Matt telling Richard, current HT at the time, all about your secret relationship. The bad thing? Your boss hears it, along with the ENTIRE team.

You're pissed to say the least.

After much hesitation, and a case involving a crazed man who decided to take over air traffic control because his wife was cheating on him, you tell Cheryl that you and Matt are going to give dating a try. She doesn't like the idea, but as long as she doesn't see it in the office or on the field, she's okay with it.

Time makes fools of you again, and before you know it, Matt's been your partner for almost two years. You fight and flirt and make fun of tactical behind their backs. Matt loses at paint ball game after game, and you gossip with Lia. Life's going swell.

Then you and Matt nearly get decapitated in Mexico. You still blame yourself for the whole thing, no matter how many times he corrected you and said that you did nothing. But to you, that hot day in hell was a big wake up call. _You both nearly died, _and for some reason that scares the crap out of you more than it should.

Something came real clear after that incident. When Ramon held that machete to your neck, you actually saw your life flash before your eyes; and you realize just how safe you'd been playing it. But the thing that got to you most was that you saw Matt in a completely different way afterwards. He was still the same lovable troublemaker that would never change. Even now as you watch him sleep, you are trying to figure out what it is. It's really getting to you, because you can't put in any words, you can't describe it.

All you know is that you've never felt this way before.

* * *

"I've made the most important discovery of my life. It's only in the mysterious equation of love that any logical reasons can be found."

- Josh Forbes Nosh, from A Beautiful Mind.


End file.
